Standing valve puller



R. R. RENOUF STANDING VALVE PULLER Aug. 14, 1945.

Filed Feb. 21, 1944 ma. 2 1 m1, 5 5 w. J 1, o Il ZAIJlf/.f y FJ rc O 3 o5 5 Q 3 M 1 ...D m W 7 .ma WJ v. ..l EM ,wnuwnvdhvl .[`\f\ l 5 2 .N0 47| 0. 1 5 M. 5 5 3 6 M 2 D M 3 2 5 1. 2 1 ,0. .Jlll Ha J1. n. l/ 2 2 o O nu 4 5 To ww Gttorneg. ,l

Patented Aug.. 14, 1945 f "UNITED STAT-Es PATENT'. OFFICE:

STANDING VALVE FULLER Ralph R. Renouf, South Gate, Calif., assignor to y Emsco Derrick & Equipment Company, Los

o Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California A Application February 21, 1944, Serial No. :523,243

7 Claims.

My invention relates to means for installing and removing a part, such as a standing valve, which has its normal utility in a. well at considerable distance from'the upper end of the Well, and -relates in particular to a device of this character which has parts so arranged that the device may be used' with greater safety and with the assurance that the part will not be inadvertently dropped within the well.

In the art of pumping oil from wells it is lcustomary to have a standing valve removably seated at the lower end of a string of oil tubing. For the purpose of lifting this standing valve from its seat, an engagement means is provided, part of which is carried by the standing valve structure, and the remaining part of which is Carried at the lower end of a suspension means which ordinarily consists of the pump piston and a string of sucker rods which extend through the oil tube to the upper end of the well. It is possible to engage the standing valve puller.` by lowering the suspension means andA then by suitable rotation bringing'the engageable parts into interengaging or interlocking'.positio'n,v whereupon -the shoulder of the upper part will engage a cooperating shoulder of the lower part. Modern practice in the removing of the standing valve from the lower end of the oil tube involves high speed of vertical movement of the sucker rods and the parts connected to the lower ends thereof and also abrupt stopping and starting move# ment, with the lresult that at times the standing valve has been disconnected from the lower end of the suspension means and dropped back into the lower part of the oil tubing. It is an object of the present invention `to provide a standing valve puller and inserter having means which will prevent disengagement of the standing valve from the suspension means during the raising and lowering of the same within the tubing, thereby avoiding the accidental release of the standing valve from the suspension means.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a standing valve puller having ra barrel part and a stem part, the stem part having a head which projects radially and is adapted to enter a slot in the Vbarrel and engage a shoulder, there being spring means to yieldably hold the head in cooperative relation to the shoulder so that the barrel and stem parts of the device will not become disengaged during raising or lowering of the standing valve within a, well.

A further object of the invention is to provide a. standing valve puller of the character set forth in the preceding paragraph: wherein the barrel consists of an inner part and an outer part, with spring means disposed within the outer part for engagement with the head or hook portion of the stem.

Afurther object of -the invention is to provide a valve stem puller having a barrel or cylinder having inner and outer parts so formed as to provide an annular channel between these parts to receive a ring member having spring lingers projecting therefrom so as to engage the head of the stem which is inserted in the barrelor cylindrical part.

Further objects and advantages ofthe invention will be brought out in the following part of the 'speciiication l Referring to the drawing tive purposes only;

Fig. 1 is a partly sectioned elevational view showing the upper and lower parts ofthe valve puller engaged. 'l

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken as indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Y y

Fig. 3 is a -view showing the barrel of the standing valve puller in the same position as Fig. 2, and showing the stem raised, with the head partly rotated as occurs when the head is removed from or moved into the slots of the barrel.

Fig.4 is an elevational view of the inner part of the barrel, with the spring-holding ring sectioned. i

Fig; 5 is a plan view of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 isa cross section taken as indicated by the line 6--6 of Fig. 4. i

In Fig. 1 I show a standing valve I0 projecting upward from a seat I I. This standing Valve ID has an upwardly projectingstem I2 witha T head I3 preferably formed integral with its upper end, which head I3 has an upwardly projecting ridge I4 to guide the head into the axial opening I5 of the barrel I6.

The barrel I6 includes an outer cylindrical part` I'I having an internal'shoulder `I8 at its lower end and having threads I9 at its upper end to receive the threaded portion 20 of a fitting 2| which is connected to the lower end of a suspension means 22. The suspension means 22 may include the lower end of a pump piston or barrel 23 and a string of sucker rods, not shown, extending upward therefrom through the oil tube. The barrel I6 includes an inner part 24 disposed in the outer cylindrical part I'I between the shoulder I8 and the downwardly projecting threaded portion-20 y of ythe rlttingv 2I This inner part 24 `has therein the axial opening which is for illustra- I which, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, is of substantially rectangular cross section but with curved end faces conforming approximately to the shape of the head I3.- At right angles .to the plane A--A of the axial opening I5, the inner body 24 has slots 25 provided with shoulders 26 at their lower ends. As shown at 21, the upper end of each slot 25 is enlarged laterally in one direction to provide a clearance at 28, Fig. 6, to permit the head I3 to be rotated past the dotted line position 29 from a position aligned with the axis A-,A into a position aligned with the slots 25, thereby making possible movement of the head I3 relatively upwardly through the axial opening I5, and by relative rotation of the stem I2 and the barrel I6 to carry the head I3 through the position thereof shown in Fig. 3 and shown at 29 in Fig. 6 into alignment with the slots 25, whereupon the projecting portions 30 of the head I3 may be then brought into engagement with the shoulders 26.

The upper end of the inner part 24 is reduced in diameter as indicated at 3|, so as to provide between the upper part of the inner portion 24 and the corresponding part of the outer portion I'I of the barrel an annular channel 32. This annular channel 32 receives a ring 33 of short cylindric form. From the ring 33, fingers 34 extend downwardly in the outer portions ofthe slots 25, the lower ends 35 of the fingers 34 being spaced above the shoulders 25 and being bent inward as shown in Fig. 1 to engage vtapered shoulders 36 on the outer faces or end faces of the head I3 when the head I3 is moved up,- ward from the position in which itis shown in Figs. 1 and 2. s Y

To lift the head I3 upward from the position in which it is shown in Figs; l and-2 into the upper ends of the slots 25 requires a force considerably greater than any upward force ordinarily applied to or incurred in the standing valve I0 and stem I2 during the raising or lowering thereof within the well; therefore, the spring fingers 34 prevent inadvertently lifting of the head I3 in the slots 25. In other words, the spring fingers 34 hold the downwardlyv faced shoulders of the head I3 in cooperative relation Yto the shoulders 26 at the lower ends of the slots 25. y

When it is desired to lift the standing valve from its seat II, the barrel I6 is lowered down over the head I3 and upper portion of thestem I2 to the position thereof shown in Fig. '3. Then, the suspension means is rotated in clockwise direction and moved upward so that ythe slots 25 will be brought into alignment with the projecting portions 3B of the head I3 and so that ,the shoulders 26 at the lower ends of the slots 25 will be brought into engagement with the head, as shown in Fig. l. Upward movement of the` suspension means will then lift the standing valve I'from its seat I l, and the standing valve I0 may be lifted to the surface ofthe ground without danger of its being inadvertently disconnected from the lower end of the suspension means.

When it is desired to replace the standing valve, it is lowered through' the oil tubing in suspended relation to the barrel I6, as shown in Fig. 1. When the lower end of the standing valve I0 comes into engagement with the seat I I, further downward movement of the barrel I6 will cause the lower ends 35 of the fingers 34 to ride downward over the tapered shoulders 33 of the head I3 to a position such as shownin Fig. 3; whereupon, the'barrel I6 may be rotated in counterclockwise direction `to bring the head I3 into alignment with the axis A-A of the axial passage I5. The barrel I6 may be then lifted free from the head I3, leaving the standing valve III at rest in the seat I I.

I claim as my invention: 1. In a standing valve puller, the combinatio of rst and rsecond engagement members, one of said members being connectable to a standing valve and the other of said members being connectable to the lower part of a suspension means, the upperof said members having an upwardly faced shoulder and the-lower of said members having a stem with an integral T head at its upperv end having downwardly faced shoulders, the upper of said members having means for guiding said head relatively upward within itself, said members being so formed and said shoulders being so positioned that said shoulders may be brought yinto, and removed from, confronting relation by relative rotation of said members; a ring mounted'in one of said members; and resilient fingers carried by said ring in a downwardly directed position to engage the ends of said T head to yieldingly restrain both upwardmovement and rotation of said head so as to limit the movement of said members away from said confronting relation whereby the members will not become inadvertently disengaged.

2. In a standing valve puller, the combination of: rst and second engagement members, one of said members being connectable to a standing valve and the other of said members being connectable to the lower part of a suspension means, the upper of said members having an upwardly faced shoulder and the lower of said members having a downwardly faced shoulder, one of said members comprising a tubular barrel and the other of said members comprising a stem to extend into said barrel, said members being so formed and said shouldersy being so positioned that said shoulders may be brought into and removed from confronting relation by relative rotation of said members, said barrel having therein an annular chamber; a metal ring in said annular chamber; and fingers extending from said ring, the ends of said ngers being positioned so as to engage said stem and limit themovement of said members away from said confronting relation whereby the vmembers will not become inadvertentlyl disengaged.

3. In a standing valve puller of the character described, the combination of: ar stem having a shank and a T head on the outer end of said shank; a v.tubular barrel comprising an inner part. and an outer part, said inner barrel'part vhaving anaxial opening vto receive said head anda portion of said shank, and having diametrally opposed slots to receive the radially projecting 4portions of said head,lthere being shouldersY at the ends of said slots against which said projecting portions of said head may rest when said stem and said barrel are interlocked; aring disposed within said outer barrel part; and fingers projecting from said ring and along said slots toengage said projectingvportions -of siiJds head and yieldably hold the same in` said s 0 Y 4.. In a standing valve puller of the character described, the combinationof; a stem having a shank and a TV headjon the-outer end of said shank; Va tubularA barrel comprising' an inner part and anv outer part, there being an annular channel between said inner and outery parts, said inner barrel part having an axial opening to receive said head and a portion of said shank, and having diametrally opposed slots to receive the radially projecting portions of said head, there being shoulders at-the ends of said slots against which said projecting portions of said head may rest when said stem and said barrel are interlocked; a ring vdisposed within said annular channel; and fingers projecting from said ring and along said slots to engage said projecting portions of said head and yieldably hold the same in said slots.

5. In a standing valve puller of the character described, the combination of: a stem having a shank and a T head on the outer end of said shank; a tubular barrel comprising an inner part and an outer part, said inner part having at one end thereof an external annular depression so as to form an annular channel between said inner and outer parts, said inner barrel part having an axial opening to receive said head and a portion of said shank, and having diametrally opposed slots to receive the radially projecting portions of said head, there being shoulders at the ends of said slots against which said projecting portions of said head may rest when said stem and said barrel are interlooked; a ring disposed Within said annularv channel; and fingers projecting from said ring and along said slots to engage said projecting portions of said head and yieldably hold the same in said slots.

6. In a standing valve puller of the character described, the combination of: a stem having a shank and a T head on the outer end of said shank; a tubular barrel comprising an inner part and an outer part, there being an annular channel between said inner and outer parts, said inner barrel part having an axial opening to receive said head and a portion of said shank, and having diametrally opposed slots to receive the radially projecting portions of saidhead, there being shoulders at theA ends of said slots against which said projecting portions'of said head may rest when said stem and said barrelare interlocked; a ring disposed Within said an- .nular channel; and a finger projecting from said ring and along one of said slots to engage a projecting portion of said head and yieldably hold the same from disengagement with the slot in which it reposes.

'7. In a standing valve puller, the combination o f; first and second engagement members, one of said members being connectable to a standing Valve and the other of said members being connectable to the lower part of a suspension means, the upper of said members having an upwardly faced shoulder and the lower of said members having a downwardly faced shoulder, one of said members comprising a tubular barrel and the other of said members comprising a stem to extend into said barrel, Asaid members being so formed and said shoulders being so positioned that said shoulders may be'brought into and removed from confronting relation by relative rotation of said members, said barrel having therein an annular chamber; a ring in said annular chamber; and projections extending downwardly from said ring into positions enabling same to yieldingly apply restraining forces to said ystem sucient to restrain movement of said members away from said confronting relationship.

RALPH R. RENOUF. 

